


i wanna ruin our friendship

by funsociety



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other, i love constructive criticism but don't flame me bitch!!!!, slowburn as hell lelzor, this is my first work please don't shit on my heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-05-16 05:31:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14805287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funsociety/pseuds/funsociety
Summary: in which olivia is a smirking asshole, amélie can be just as snarky, and neither of them knew they were *that* gay.





	1. books don't make sense if you read them backwards

"Hey there. Olivia Colomar. Freshman."

She sighed at her reflection in the mirror.  _Who the hell am I? James Bond?_   _Pinche idiota..._

"OLIVIA! Ven aquí o te mato que Dios me ayude _..._ "

"¡Coño, mamá! I'm coming, I'm coming."

The Colomar house was warm, and not just because it was the near-end of a Californian summer. Mamá Colomar was the dream mom, if one existed. The tantalizing aroma of homemade Mexican food constantly floated throughout the house, and today was no exception. 

"Gross. Chorizo con huevos y papas," Olivia joked, "don't we have anything better?"

"Keep talking like that mija, and one day you're going to see the worse end of a chancla," Mamá replied.

Olivia smirked. "Later, mamá. I've gotta go catch the bus."

"¡Ay mija, espera! We still need to take a picture of you on your first day of school!"

"Mom... Please. No," she groaned, as her mom tugged her by the arm. "It's not even my first day of scho—". Before she could even finish, a set of snaps accompanied by flashes went off. ("¡Mamá por favor! Turn off the flash.") Some more flashes and snaps. And even more. Olivia knew this was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

  
[7:30 AM]  
  
_♪ With my toes on the edge, it's such a lovely view_  
_I never loved anything until I loved you... ♪_

"Hey Gabe. You don't mind if I call you Gabe, do you?"

Gabriel glanced up at the girl before him. Her hair was flipped over to one side, with dark roots and violet patches the further down it went. 

He pulled out an earbud and smiled. "Nice contacts. Scared you won't be interesting to other people without them?" he scowled. He never considered Olivia an enemy, but she wasn't a friend either. She frowned as she pointed to his backpack blocking the seat. Gabe momentarily glared at her, then subsequently shoved his backpack onto the floor.

"I've known you since elementary school man, aren't we supposed to be like, best friends by now?" she retorted. She hadn't yet noticed that he had put his earbud back in until she looked over and saw him typing on his phone.   
  
_En serio Gabe... why are you using an Android, aren't your parents upper-middle class?_

He finished typing and, while smiling at her, showed her the screen.

August 13, 2018, 7:36 AM

_**LEAVE. ME. ALONE.**_  

Olivia mockingly flashed him an 'OK' gesture, struggling not to laugh. Gabe was a little off-putting to most people, but she knew she'd find her way in. 

* * *

_  
Jesus Christ, it's so fucking hot out here._

Amélie was never one for the outdoors. Her family even jokingly nicknamed her Spider-Girl much to her dismay, especially since her mild Tobey Maguire phase had ended centuries ago. _Dieu, qu'il est si beau, Andrew.._

Regardless of the heat, the courtyard next to the library was one of her favorite spots around the school. For one, it was quiet, enshrouded by shade, and the stone bench never failed to cool her thighs when she was wearing skirts or shorts. Besides, watching the group of people sat at the table a few feet in front of her was always interesting. 

A fiery, wild-haired boy nearly screamed his lungs out. "Pig's arse, Mako! You've always been a few sangas short'a picnic, how've you gotten AP Chemistry?!" 

"...Shut up." Mako grunted in response. He took a bite out of the BLT on his tray and slammed a handful of chips into his face. 

 _What a social butterfly_ , she thought to herself.

"Well mate! 'Least we got the same period with Mr..." the boy began to squint at the paper with a perplexed look on his face, "Mr... ah... Chevrolet?"

_It's Chevalier, genius..._

The wild-haired boy snapped his gaze from his paper towards Amélie.

_Merde. I said that out loud, didn't I._

"Hell, mate, no need to get churlish with me!" he giggled strangely, then beamed. "Name's Jamison. Jamison Fawkes the First! Freshman. Has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?"

"Do you ever shut up," Mako groaned in exasperation. 

Amélie nearly smiled. "Dés- Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you," she replied. 

"Oh mate, no harm no foul!" Before he could invite her over to the table, a loud  _ **brrring**_ rang out through the school. The two boys quickly gathered their things and began to leave. Jamison opened his mouth, as if to say something to her before running off to the first class of the year, but stopped. He instead flashed her a smile, and went on by Mako's side.

 _Bon... allons-y._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the short ass chapter fdjsgdk  
> i guess i'm just putting feelers out bc! if nobody reads this then that's that on that i Suppose.  
> but thank u if u read this,,, leave a comment if u wish  
> honestly i promise chapter 2 will be a lot longer lmao


	2. by the way, you've been uninvited

[8AM : Gym]

The girls' locker room was a sensory overload. A dulled out blue-tiled floor with an ever so simple pattern of squares, showers that smelled god-awful the closer up to them you were, dirty mirrors, the constant beating on lockers and overlapping of voices that made them louder than they were made Olivia's head throb. It also didn't help that so many of the girls in here were ridiculously attractive. She knew her confidence wasn't entirely fake, but a large percentile of it was bluffed. She quickly changed into her plain white shirt and black shorts, laced up her violet sneakers, tied her hair back into a ponytail and walked out the door. 

"Alright kids. I'm Mr. Hernandez. Let's move on to roll call," he glanced down towards the paper bound to his clipboard. "Amari?"

"Here."

"Colomar?"

"Hey," she hummed.

"Correia?"

"Lúcio Correia dos Santos here, in the flesh!"

"...okay," the man shook his head lightly and continued, "Fawkes?"

"G'dday mate! It's a perfect day for some exercise!"

Mr. Hernandez stifled a groan, looked up towards the sky quickly, and back down at his paper. 

"...Lacrotch?"

The class erupted into laughter. Olivia couldn't help but snort, and even Gabe seemed to be slightly smiling.

"It's Lacroix," a girl a few feet away from Olivia sighed. A small part of her felt a little guilty for laughing after seeing the person behind the name.  _She's kinda cute, in a sad way._   _B_ _ut hey, it was funny_. 

* * *

  
"Basketball? Why can't we play football!?", Lúcio protested.

Gabe dully looked in his direction. "Because it's hotter than hell out here and basketball can be played indoors, genius. Where there's a magical thing called... air conditioning."

 _He isn't wrong,_ Olivia griped. Today's high was meant to be 95º F, and it was only supposed to increase throughout the week. Granted, it was probably because Gabe was wearing all black, as per usual.

Mr. Hernandez numbered them off. Olivia was paired up with the Amari girl, Jamison, a  _very_ short Asian girl, and an immensely tall Slavic-looking girl. 

"Alright mates, who's ready to crush these cunts!" 

The girls' eyes widened. A few seconds of silence went by. 

"Anyways," one of them awkwardly started up. "I'm Fareeha, but you can call me anytime," she winked, but then her face grew worried. "Just kidding. Please don't call me anytime. My name's Pharah."

The short Asian girl, whose voice very much so matched her frame, stated that her name was Hana Song.

"I am Aleksandra Zaryanova, but you call me Zarya," the Slavic girl commanded.  _Yeesh_.

"I'm Olivia. Liv. Quién le importa," she rolled her eyes jestingly.

Jamison sheepishly finished the introductions circle.  _Aw, pobrecito,_ she smirked.

* * *

  
Zarya dished out the roles for the team while Olivia sized up the opposing team for the day. It was made up of the Lacroix girl, two bickering Asian boys, a girl with a stature not dissimilar to a twig, and Gabe.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about the Lacroix girl bothered her. She gave herself the liberty to ignore whoever Zarya dictated her to guard in a man-to-man defense, and assigned herself to guard none other than Lacroix.

...

Mr. Hernandez began the jump ball, and Zarya was, of course, the one to hit it back to their team. Hana caught the ball and dribbled down the court to the opponent's three-point line. The twiggy girl circled her arms back and forth around Hana, who then faked a pass to Pharah. _M_ _ira... she's definitely going out for the basketball team,_ Liv thought. She mirrored Hana's positioning and took note of where Lacroix was, who was currently being enthusiastically guarded by... Jamison. Olivia snorted. Gabe now had possession of the ball and was about to take a shot from inside the key. He pumped his shot, which Zarya fell for, allowing him to successfully score 2 points for his team.  _Mierda, I need to keep better track of the ball_.

"Bugger off!" Jamison hollered, which got him a not so friendly glare from the instructor. He rubbed the nape of his neck and cleared his throat. "Sorry mates," he muttered.

Pharah cleared the ball and passed it to Jamison. Mildly concerned on his lankiness to clumsiness ratio, Liv waved her arms out in hopes he would pass the ball to her. He bounced it across the floor, and before she could grab it, Lacroix snatched it. Olivia narrowed her eyes and stepped closer as she began to move her arms out in front of the girl, whose nostrils flared and amber eyes dilated in response. 

"Mon ami, you might have better luck if you were a little taller," Lacroix whispered provocatively. 

Olivia scoffed and rolled her eyes in response. "Whatever, Lacrotch."

She attempted to steal, but every endeavor was met with an evasive maneuver from the slender girl.  _Cómo chingas,_ she scowled. Eventually the ball was passed over her head to the green-haired boy.  _Easy target_. Olivia rushed over to the other side of the court and briefly glanced at the clock. She stared him right in the face as she stepped on his right foot, causing him to drop the ball.  _Where's the fun in playing fair?_ She smirked as she quickly threw him an insincere apology and passed the ball upcourt to Pharah, who danced around everyone who tried to stop her. Olivia beamed at Pharah as she scored the 3-pointer, then quickly turned to Lacroix, whose glare was focused on her.

**_Brrring._ **

"Sabes, amiga, you're real cute when you're angry," she laughed. The look on her face was worth it all.

* * *

   
[10:56AM : English]  
  
Olivia walked into the peerless room. She noticed the cards strewn around the room taped to the desks, and managed to find hers. A card with the name Amélie Lacroix was on on the table next to hers.  _¡Coño!_

She cleared her throat as she walked towards the woman. "Excuse me, this seat isn't gonna work for me."

The woman didn't even bother to turn around. "And why is that?" 

"Well," Olivia glanced at the board. "Mrs. Henley, that girl is, uh, very.. sick. In the head. ( _C'mon, what the hell's a plausible lie)_ She... tried to stab me with a pencil earlier."

The woman turned around. "I suppose this close arrangement will help you resolve that then, Miss Colomar," Henley smiled bitterly. 

Olivia's eye twitched as she went to sit down. "Whatever man,"she sighed while putting an earbud in.

 _♪ Call me calloused, call me cold._  
_You're italic, I'm in bold._  
_Call me cocky, watch your tone_  
_You better love me caus- ♪_  
  
"Sorry to interrupt your karaoke session, but I'd appreciate it if you'd be quiet,  _neighbor_ ," Amélie snickered.  
  
"I know you're French and all, but  _I'd_ appreciate it if you didn't always sound like you were trying to cough up a dick you deep-throated earlier. Zat is how you get that accent, non?" Olivia retorted and put her hands behind her head, leaning back in her chair.  
  
Amélie's jaw dropped slightly, and before she could even fire back, Mrs. Henley gave them both detention.

"Oh come on, dude."

"Nom de Dieu, this is so stupid!"

Henley glared at the two of them, a look that translated to _'I_ _f you know what's good for you, shut your mouths.'_

* * *

  
Amélie sunk into the dark blue bench as much as possible. Jamison and Mako had been kind enough to invite her to lunch with them and a few other friends after gym. Frankly, she was going to take all the friends she could get at this point. 

"You know, movies let you think that high school is going to be great or something, and then you get a deskmate like Olivia." She rested her elbow on the table, face in hand with a slight frown.  
  
"Oh mate, I'm sure she ain't that bad! Fancy this," he leaned in slightly closer. "Mako over here used to hate my bloody guts. Now we're the best'a buds, ain't that right, big guy?" Jamison simpered. It became apparent to her that he had a speech habit that made him sound unsure about nearly everything.  
  
Mako said nothing, as expected of his trademark stoic nature, and took a chunk out of his pizza from the notoriously unappealing school lunch.

Jamison adjusted his watch, and drank some of his bottled water. 

"It's not even fair, though! She said something rude about me, and now  _I_ have detention after school. With  _her_!" she sighed in annoyance. "And her elbow is super overextended, constantly, it's on my desk. C'est une pute, quoi!" 

"I'unno mate. I'm sure you'll figure it out though, smart one you are!"

He continued fiddling with his watch and stared off towards the grassy area across from the courtyard. "Well blimey, speak of the devil, there she is," he pointed across the table towards the tree.

Gabe, who'd been quiet for most of this time, had grown a twisted grin on his face, and hollered excitedly, "Hey! Olivia! Come sit over here!"

"Tues moi." Amélie's face crashed down into her hands as she groaned.

"Hola chicos," Olivia laughed, making sure to sit across from Amélie. She leaned in closer to the girl, "y cariño."

 _Smite me now, God, if ever had you wanted to,_ Amélie thought.

Liv mockingly grinned. "Aw, are you still hung up on our little lover's quarrel?" she stared at her, with her head slightly turned, and her stupid signature smirk.

She lifted her head out of her hands and glowered. "I don't know, are you done getting me detention for your crap insults?" Amélie huffed. The constant mix between sweet and sour attitudes from Olivia was frustratingly bizarre and unlike any way she's ever been treated before.  _I guess she's just like Regina George or something?_

"Ooh, warn a girl. I told you you're cute when you're pissed, you know."

_The next 4 years are going to be excruciatingly long. Tellement, merci, mon dieu._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hI so i hope this is at least a little better than the first chap. thanks if ya read this, and if ya left kudos i'll buy you a vat of ice cream (not really but i appreciate it immensely)


	3. to hold you; enfold you

"We're very disappointed in you, Amélie. The first day, and you get detention? On a  _weekend?_ "

Amélie sighed. Being an only child offered little to no perks, at least in her opinion. She always had a underlying sense of loneliness, and the fact that she had to be the golden child, considering her parents' lack of option, never failed to place an enormous amount of pressure on her shoulders. All the activities that should be split by however many children were bore, were all expected to be done by her. Granted, she enjoyed some of those activities; ballet never failed to make her heart sing, but others like archery and musical lessons bored her to no end. 

"Maman, it really wasn't my faul-"

"Et mon cul c’est du poulet. Va dans ta chambre."

She looked over at her father with pleading eyes. When he didn't meet hers back, she knew there was no point in trying to explain her side of the story.  
  
  
  
...  
  
  
  


__♪_ Don't be that way_  
_Fall apart, twice a day_  
_I just wish, you could feel what you say_  
_Show, never tell_  
_But I know you too well_  
_Got a mood that you wish, you could sell _♪__

  
  
_**Ding.**_

 

Amélie glanced over at her phone. 

17:53  
August 13, 2018  
  
**Facebook** : Olivia Colomar has sent you a friend request.

* * *

   
**Amélie:** What the hell do you want?  
**Olivia:** oh araña, you say the sweetest things <3  
**Amélie:** Cool, so you stalked my page too.   
**Amélie:** Can you just fuck off already?  
**Olivia:** sorry, i can only fuck on ;~)

The green dot besides her name disappeared. Liv hummed and put her jaw in her palm.  _You know this isn't how you make friends, pendejita._

She continued scrolling through the girl's page.  _Ballet, ballet, and more ballet._ Her eyes widened as she watched a clip of a ridiculously flexible ballerina stretching.  _Goddamn, is she okay?_  
  
_Photos. Yes, I'll indulge myself. It's not stalking if you know them, right?_

Her eyebrows slightly raised as she clicked through the albums. She came across a picture of the Lacroix's on vacation, geotagged as the Cote d'Azur. The coast itself was _gorgeous_ , but the half-updo and metallic hoop earrings, to the way her floral tropic-themed towel wrapped around her hips, Liv couldn't help but stare for in awe at her for a few seconds. 

 _¡Tranquila! It's just pixels on a screen._ She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.  _Hold on, is that...?_

She clicked the arrow. Her chin jutted out as she processed the image.  _It's that twig-looking girl that was on her team today._ Her nostrils slightly flared as she took in just how close they were.

_Mira idiota, what the hell are you doing._

She closed her laptop.

* * *

  
"You feeling alright?"

Olivia pulled her head up and looked behind her. 

_Ah. Just Gabe._

"Here to make fun of my hair or something, cabrónito?" she patted the bench mockingly.

"Well, your contacts are out, so you leave me with no choice," Gabe snorted. "You know, you're the one that complained about me being distant," he sat down. "Listen. If you're feeling shitty, you should try an extracurricular or something. Always helps me out. The theatre's doing _Othello_ , and I'm auditioning. Maybe it'll make you feel better."

"Ha! You would be a theater dork. I dunno dude. Sounds pretty lame," she intoned.

"I'm not gonna beg you," he began to stand up and reached for his backpack. "I try to be nice, and this is what happens. So pointless," he mumbled under his breath.

"Wait," she stood up. "Fine. I'll go out for your dumb ol' play."

"Cool? I still have to go to class, genius," he gave her an annoyed smile. "Auditions are on Friday."

* * *

  
"Lena, for the millionth time, please. I do not want to join the speech and debate club. We all know it's where the most repressed teenagers congregate, and I'm not subjecting myself to that." 

"Aw, that's rubbish, love! Listen to yourself! Your sentences are more formal than a a purebred poodle in a tux!" she grinned. "Just join, it'll be so fun!"

 _Purebred poodle in a tux?_  Amélie groaned. "Do you ever give up?"

"Nope."

"Fine. Fine, I'll look around. But I'm not joining if it seems stupid."

Lena bounced giddily and clapped her hands together as inhuman joyful squeaks escaped her. "Ah, I promise you'll love it!"

  
  
  
...  
  
  


  
Amélie placed her bag down on the bench and started twisting the lock's dial.  _12, 6, 81._

 _ **Click**_.

"Thank you, thank you everyone," she bowed.

"Did you just bow for an invisible audience  _just_ because you knew your locker's combination?" Liv snickered.

_Ignore her. Just ignore her. She'll go away eventually. Her only goal is to get a rise out of you._

"So it's gonna be like that huh? Okay, gilipollas." The girl threw her hands up in frustration and walked off.

She slipped into her white tee and black leggings, tied her hair up into a messy chignon, and proceded towards the door.

She noticed an odd flyer on the wall.  _Othello, hmm?_

* * *

_  
_ "Alright kids," Mr. Hernandez yelled out. "Time for some dodgeball!"

Lúcio started to complain, but before he could even get a full word out, Gabe shot him a death stare. Lúcio hung his head in discontentment.

"Great. The most intellectual sport in the world," Liv grumbled. 

"That's the attitude, Olivia! Why don't you go on and fetch all the balls now, kiddo." Hernandez smiled. "Time for teams. Lacroix, Amari, Reyes, Genji, Santos, and Colomar. You're Team A. Team B will be," he snickered and cleared his throat before continuing. "Team B is Zaryanova, Oxton, Fawkes, the other Shimada, and Song."

"Uh, why do they get six people and we only get five?" Hana flared up. 

"Because Jesse's been out sick since Wednesday, moron," Gabe spat, pressing his lips together.

"Oh." Hana shrunk, arms wrapped around her. "Sorry," she muttered. 

Liv returned, red tessellated rubber balls in hand. "Here's your dumb ol' balls." The class sniggered. "Shut up," her face twisted into a scowl.

 _Youpi,_ Amélie sighed.

  
  
...  
  
  
  


Hernandez blew the whistle. Both teams sprinted from the cones toward the line of balls in the middle of the gym. Liv ran against Amélie's side, much to her frustration, making sure to bump into her as often as possible. 

"Hey, you know your bra strap's showing, right?" 

" _Go._ _Away_." Amélie growled. Her amber eyes narrowed, filled to the brim with animosity.

"Sabes, bonita..."

Liv bent down to grab a ball. She began to wind up her throw, her brow furrowing. Her arm wound back, then began to push forward, until she let the ball go with a twist of her hand. The ball tore through the air until it smacked into its destination.

A thud came from the opposite side of the gym.

 _Taradita,_ she snorted.

* * *

   
Lena, completely dazed, struggled to get back up. "Bollocks, that threw me for a loop," she sat for a minute. "I'm alright, loves." She stood up for a fraction of a second before her legs crumbled before her.

"Lúcio, help that girl to to the nurse," Hernandez ordered. "Olivia, if that happens again, you and I are going to have a serious talk.

"You got it, boss." she gave him a mock salute. "Cheers, love!" Liv snickered as his back turned.

Amélie's fists clenched, her face flushed. 

She stomped her way to Liv and shoved her lightly. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you," she hissed. 

Liv's eyes dilated and darted to the right for a moment. " _You're_ the problem, stupid! It was an accident. Why are you taking it personally, maricona? Is she your girlfriend or something?" her voice tremulous, betraying her hostile posture. 

"No, shut up! Just fucking.. shut up..."

The brief yet heated argument caused the distance between them to close, their foreheads nearly touching, leaving both of them panting from the adrenaline.

Liv's eyes softened more and more the longer they stayed like that.

Amélie couldn't help but stare into them. Angled, puffy oceans stared back.  _Ce qui se passe ici, putain?_  

The shrill ring of the bell echoed through the gym.

Amélie's eyes darted back and forth across the girl's face, looking for some kind of answer as to what was happening.

When she realized she was just as lost, she panicked and fled back to the locker rooms.

* * *

  
"Lena, are you sure you're okay?" Amélie hung her head in dismay. "You were right, by the way. The debate club looked like it could be somewhat enjoyable," she admitted.

"I'm fine, Amé!" she teased, punching her shoulder. "Don't worry so much, love."

"It was weird, today. That girl that hit you, Liv, she thought you were my girlfriend." 

Lena giggled. "Heh! Emily'd get a riot out of that."

"Yeah," she shrugged, making distance between them. "Well, see you tomorrow." She gave her a weak smile and wave before turning onto her street.

  
  
...

  
  
Liv glared at the chat. ' _Hey, I'm sorry about today'_ is all she could type before watching the caret run backwards as she deleted it all.

"Urghhhh!" her fist smacked down on her desk.

"Mija," a voice from below called out, "are you okay up there?"

"Yes, ma," she yelled. 

 _Fuck._  

_Fuck it._

**[6:21 PM] Olivia:** hey _  
_

**[6:24 PM] Olivia:** listen, i know today was weird and all but i really need to talk to you

Seconds turned to minutes, and with each tick of the clock her impatience nearly got the best of her.

 _She probably hates me._ Her head sank into her arms.

**_Diwoop._ **

Her head snapped up.

 **[6:28 PM] Amélie:** Hi.

 **[6:28 PM] Amélie:** I'm listening. But if you say one stupid thing, I swear to god I will break your nose the next time I see you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTnYidytoM was the ballerina clip  
> danke schön if you're still reading!!! thanks for the love. :)


	4. and i'll break you, 'till i break through

"I still don’t understand why we have to Skype."

Olivia’s room was a lot to take in, compared to her own. While Amélie’s room whispered, ‘minimalist’, Olivia’s stomped around and shrieked ‘flamboyance or die’. Copious amounts of posters clogged up her walls, ranging from a classic Pulp Fiction print to a few mystically designed Queens of the Stone Age gig fliers. The lighting was predominately violet, which she appreciated deeply, with a couple of red lights haphazardly thrown on the sides. The most endearing thing she saw in the room was a sole stuffed animal, a little brown teddy bear, sat atop some knitted blankets near the bed.

"Pfft, whatever, Spider-Girl. Y’know you were falling in love with my face earlier today." Her classically annoying smirk was plastered on her face as she joked, flipping her hair to the side.

Amélie scoffed. "Real cute," she glanced at the bottom-right corner and quickly fixed her hair, throwing it behind her shoulders. "What's so important, anyway? I'm supposed to be getting ready for bed soon."

"Seriously, Frenchie?" Liv snorted. "What kind of fourteen year old goes to bed this early?"

"First of all, I'm fifteen and a half," her eyes narrowed, "not that it's any of your business either way, and second, I was raised to be asleep by 8PM."

"Wow. You're really cool, you know that?"

She threw her hands up, exhaling. "I guess you want your nose broken then, no?"

"You're not intimidating," Liv smugly spoke. "But hey, if that's how bad you want to touch me, be my guest."

Amélie briefly looked down with a sarcastic smile. Her hand began to reach for the power button on her desktop and nearly pressed it.

"Hey! No. Wait, wait," she panicked. Her shoulders slumped, knowing the time she had wasn't long. "Please don't go yet."

Drumming her fingers along her desk, she softly sighed, "Okay."

"I just... I wanted to say I'm really sorry and all. I dunno what came over me in gym. I was, an, uh... idiot."

A small chuckle broke free from Amélie's throat.

"You're gonna laugh right now? ¡ _Qué cabrona_ , I just called myself an idiot to apologize to you!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It's extremely entertaining to see you not be so cocky for once," she hummed.

They both giggled for a moment or so.

Amélie brushed off a few hairs from her face. A considerably loud knock came from behind her, her eyes hardening. "I have to go. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Liv gave her a curious look. "Um, yeah... I'll see you tomorrow, ara—"

She shut off the computer.

* * *

  
Liv stood outside the door. She didn’t care for the most part about usually being the first one in, since her class was a few rooms over. The passing period between classes was four minutes either way, so the likelihood of her being late was close to none.

She compulsively checked her phone with every several seconds that passed, and the bell was creeping closer and closer to ringing.

 _Whatever_.

Her shoes dragged across the dirt outside the classroom up until she plopped down in her seat, much to Mrs. Henley's irritation, earning herself a glare. She rolled her eyes in response and let her head drop to her arms, waiting for class to actually begin.

A handful of minutes crawled by after the final bell had rung. Liv heard slow shuffling on the tile.

"Tardy slip?" Henley's perpetual nasally tone made her want to tear her ears off.  _I've done it in small amounts anyway, haven't I?_

"Also, remove the sunglasses. You know the dress code."

Liv peeked her head up and her eyes immediately widened. Slender legs walked tall across the floor, and ended where a high tartan skirt began. The ensemble was completed by a cropped raglan baseball tee, her neck adorned by a silver scorpion pendant.

"Hey," she began, voice quavering. Amélie didn't even glance her way. _Huh._

"Y'know _chica_ , if you were trying to distract people from that bruise on your cheek with that outfit and those shades, it almost worked."

"Can you please stop? Just leave me alone." The more words that came out of her mouth, the more brittle her voice became. Liv thought she saw her eyes watering, but they remained glassy and wide with frustration.

"Sorry for trying to make you smile?..."

"You're not helping me, okay?" she hissed. "Did you ever think of that? And maybe I didn't want your pity in the first place." 

Liv's brow furrowed, looking upon the girl in bewilderment. "Are you kidding me? I didn't say that I was trying to help. Jesus, sucks that the baguette that was stuck up your ass when we first met's returned."

Peers behind them snickered. Liv's body swiveled. 

"Can you assh—"

"Have both of you not learned your lesson the first time? Was detention last week  _not_ enough? Simmer down, or you're both heading out to the principal's office," Henley barked.

She quickly turned forward and sunk down in her seat.  _This week couldn't be further from over, and it already fucking sucks._

* * *

**  
8/20/18**

**[4:53PM] LIVerdamage:** hey, can we talk

 **[5:15PM] LIVerdamage:** or not i guess that's fine too

 

**8/21/18**

****[5:17PM] LIVerdamage:**** :-) 

 **[5:17PM] LIVerdamage:** i can see that you're on pendejita

 **[5:18PM] LIVerdamage:** idk why you're even ignoring me it's not effective on skype like i can still see your stupid green circle thing genius 

 **[5:23PM] LIVerdamage:** seriously can you just reply 

 **[6:39PM] LIVerdamage:**.

  
**8/22/18**

 **[6:20PM] LIVerdamage:** are you going on the bio field trip this friday

 **[6:20PM] LIVerdamage:** or are you too french and 2cool4school to care

 **[6:29PM] LIVerdamage:** wow i expect nothing and i'm still disappointed #4w370m3

 **[7:02PM] LIVerdamage:** whatever i tried lol

* * *

  
"Mei-Ling, Jack, Hana, Aleksandra, you're Group A. Your chaperone is Mr. Shimada. Amélie, Jesse, Olivia, and Gabe. You're Group B. Your chaperone is Mrs. Lindholm," Mr. Lee droned, listing off the groups. "Now listen, you don't stray. This is a big city we're going to, and..."

Liv's eyelids began to droop. The darkened horizon she saw through her sunglasses made it no easier to stay awake. Her arms crossed, the persistent stroking of her forearm tempted her eyes to completely shut. A _nap couldn't hurt anyone..._

"Hey!" 

She fell over from the sudden raucous voice in her ear.

"Fuck, Gabe... seriously," she wearied. 

"What?" he laughed. "Man, you look wiped. Did auditioning for Othello really wear you out that much?"

_Not so much that, more so was it seeing someone there._

"Yeah," she breathed with hesitation, her eyes shifting about.

"Okay," he leaned forward. "Well, either way, I thought it was pretty ballsy that you tried for Othello, and not like, Desdemona or something."

She glanced up from the floor and flashed him a smile, immediately breaking eye contact.

A few moments of silence passed between them. 

"See ya later, Liv." He left, beelining to throw a weak punch at Jesse's arm from behind.

She emitted a sigh, pulling herself towards the bus. Dragging her feet up the steps, she wavered her way through the dirty green seats, which were mostly filled up. Her sight converged on Lena and Amélie, settled in towards the back.   
  
_Of course._  

Amélie's glance coolly turned into an ignorance, which she'd almost become accustomed to. As she made her way back up the beat-up midway, she realized that the only spot available was by Mr. Shimada.

_Well, at least I'll be able to sleep.  
_

* * *

  
Liv carried a mixed view on history. Everything that has been said and done by strangers left in the dusts of the past simultaneously meant everything and nothing to her, more so nothing the deeper her choleric nature had been pushed. History can hurt. History shows what a ruined world she had to live in, a world on the brink of becoming merely waste. But, history reminded her that humans could be more than just uncompromising Neanderthals. That people fought and died, fought and survived, those who longed for a greater humanity, sacrificed endless things for a chance to turn the Earth into something less bleak. 

 _So fuck what's happening. Museums are fucking cool, and I'm gonna enjoy this day no matter what.  
  
  
_. . .  
  
  
_Why did I come today._

"Alright! Lunch break everyone." The guide smiled. "Don't wander off too far," she added.

_Jesus, finally._

Liv dashed for the women's restroom. The fact that her tour guide was mildly attractive wasn't helping her already nauseous stomach.

She shoved the door open, rushing into the first stall she could see.

"Fuckin' shit," she faltered, the ground sinking endlessly beneath her.

It felt like hours had passed within the few minutes her eyes had been shut. Her nausea dulled, and she carefully stood up, exiting the stall.

"You know that sunglasses make it obvious you're hungover, right,  _chérie_?"

She grimaced, pushing them further onto her face. 

"You're one to talk, trying to cover up that yellow ass bruise."

Her expression tightened upon hearing the word, long bangs falling over the left side of her face as her head lowered.

"No wonder nobody likes you."

"Oh, what? Because I tell the truth?"

"No, because you're fucking insensitive." Amélie turned to face her, crossing her arms. "You don't know how to express regret. And when you finally do say you're sorry, it's a complete joke of an apology," her voice began to wobble, but the fervor in her eyes was unbroken. "You can't tell the truth, because you don't know it."

"Let me guess, I know your name, not your story?" Her words were soaked in causticity. "Maybe if you didn't ignore me for two weeks, I would know better," she shrugged. "You really can't blame me. Not for trying, at least. I tried to talk to you, so,  _so_  many times after that stupid call. And I know you saw them. There was no way you didn't, so it makes no goddamn sense for you to act like you're the only one hurting, as if you've done no wrong. Maybe if you would've just told me what happened instead of taking it out on me, I would know better." She staggered toward the girl, her hand curling up. "So you know what? _F_ _uck_ you, and all your bullshit."

The temptation of busting the glass mirror overwhelmed her, but even she knew to rationalize that impulse. The temporary relief wasn't worth getting sent home or her mom flipping out when she got back. Her fist flew past the girl and smacked into the beige wall behind, causing her to shrink and flinch. 

" _F_ _uck_!" she shouted, her sneaker crushing the fallen sunglasses. She finally looked up, meeting Amélie's tearing eyes, lips quivering.

"...Shit." Liv's hand came closer to her face. "I'm s—"

" _Don't_ touch me!" she fell to the wall, curling up. "Just... go away, please."

"But I—"

" _Please_."

At a loss, she fled the room. 

* * *

   
The proximity of the ocean gave way to far greater weather than they'd had back home. The scent of the sea carried itself on the breeze, enticing everyone, including the chaperones and teachers, for a much deserved impromptu beach trip before leaving. 

. . . 

♪ _I'm sorry if I smothered ya_  
_I sometimes wish I'd stayed inside  
__My mother  
__Never to come out. _♪__  
  
Amélie stared out the dusted, grimy window. The wind gently blew on her hair, lifting it off her shoulders a slight amount. She laid her bag down on her lap, and held it in her arms. 

"You were right."

Her gaze didn't break away from the sunset behind the buildings zooming by.

"I know," she sighed. "But that doesn't make you wrong either."

Her head sank onto Liv's shoulder, which gave a faint twitch in response to the unexpected gesture. 

"So... we're okay?"

"I don't know," her puffy, hazel eyes looking up towards her sunlit face. "Maybe we're okay when we need to be."

Liv nodded, biting her lip. 

. . .   
  
  
"Hana... please don't make us take a group photo," Jack grumbled. 

"It's for posterity! Plus, my grandma would hate not seeing how beautiful it is over here. So quit whining!" 

Mrs. Lindholm's hands grasped the camera. "Okay, three... two... one. Smile!" 

Liv grinned as she wrapped her arms around both Gabe and Amélie, who both would've given her a dirty look if it weren't for Hana's threat beforehand. 

"Best friends," she joked through her teeth. 

"Got it!" Mrs. Lindholm announced. She let out a huff of air. "Olivia, stop giving the boys noogies, I'm not going to tell you again. That's no way for a lady to act."

"Ladies schmadies," she spoke under her breath.

The kids continued to walk around on the beach, though no one could actually go into the water. Amélie strolled down the sand by herself. Gabe, Jesse and Jack began throwing watery sand at each other. 

Liv shook her head and let out a little yell, and sat down on a rundown bench next to the beachside path.

_This... this is why I came today._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i didn't update for a month. i'm having thoughts about writing a different fic, but who knows. i'd like to finish this one, but i know i have quite a few chapters to go. anyways, i hope you're enjoying it as much as i enjoy writing it. ♥


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